William Edward Sanders was a New Zealand naval officer who received the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the First World War. He began his career as a seafarer and earned his master's certificate just after the war broke out. Sanders served on troopships before being commissioned in the Royal Naval Reserve. He was given command of HMS Prize, a Q-ship, and was awarded the VC for his actions in engaging and defeating a German U-boat. Sadly, he was killed in action on his fourth patrol. His VC is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and there are various tributes to Sanders, such as the Sanders Memorial Cup. William Edward Sanders was born in 1883 in Kingsland, Auckland. He attended Nelson Street School until his family moved to Takapuna in 1894. At the age of 15, Sanders left school to apprentice as a mercer, but his true passion was for the sea. In 1899, he became a cabin boy aboard the steamer Kapanui, and his seafaring career took off from there. He gained experience under sail with the Craig Line and eventually became mate of the barque Joseph Craig. In 1914, after the ship foundered on the Hokianga bar, Sanders took charge of a small boat to seek help. During the early part of the First World War, William Edward Sanders worked on various ships and applied to join the Royal Naval Reserve. After persistent efforts, he was eventually accepted and appointed as an acting sub-lieutenant. He then served on the Q-ship Helgoland, which engaged in two actions against U-boats, including one where Sanders had to remove a jammed screen under gunfire to reveal the ship's gun. Sanders was promoted to lieutenant after his successful conduct on Helgoland, and was later appointed captain of the HMS Prize. The ship was converted into a Q-ship with added armament and technology, and embarked on its first patrol in April 1917. The ship was attacked and heavily damaged by a German U-boat, but managed to retaliate and damage the enemy submarine before being towed to safety. For his bravery, Sanders was awarded the Victoria Cross. William Edward Sanders went on another patrol in August 1917 despite requesting to be relieved of his command due to overstrain. The British submarine, HMS D6, accompanied the ship Prize and attempted to torpedo an enemy ship that was sighted. However, the German U-boat UB-48 stalked Prize and launched two torpedoes, sinking the ship and presumably killing the crew.

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